Shane Battier hoping to stay put at the Memphis Grizzlies – NBA Update
Memphis Grizzlies star Shane Battier has made clear that he would like to continue playing with his current team. The player, who is an unrestricted free agent, does have fears though that his wish could be jeopardized by the new
Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The NBA owners and players have been locked in a bitter dispute over the new CBA, a dispute that has caused the lockout. NBA pre-season, training camps and more than a month of the regular season have already been lost, while more
is expected to follow.
Whenever a deal is reached though, it is clear that it will be much more restrictive when compared to the previous CBA. That could make it very difficult for the Grizzlies to keep Battier, who is already being eyed by a number
of teams from around the league. The player himself has no idea how things will turn out.
“It’s unsettling to not know what the terms of the CBA will be,” said Battier, in an interview with the Commercial Appeal website. “What are the exceptions, who’ll be able to use these exceptions, what kind of cap? I have no idea
where I can end up. When we do finally sign, it’s going to be chaos trying to go through the free agency period, and I’ll have to make a life decision.”
His preference though is Memphis.
“Memphis may be the best place to return to if teams are able to maintain (Larry) Bird rights,” Battier said.
The reason? Battier feels he has a great chance of being successful with the Grizzlies. Memphis enjoyed a tremendous post-season last time out, going past the first round of playoffs for the maiden time in their history. They did
so in style too, with a win over first seeded San Antonio Spurs, and wit some influential players sidelined through injury.
Shane, like others in the Memphis locker room, has great faith in the team and believes they can build upon their success last season to become a genuine contender for the NBA World Championship next time out.
“I want to be in a happy place. I want to go to work and enjoy it. When you go to work and you have a chance to win every night, your job is way better. That’s for any profession, but you want to have a role and be able to contribute
to winning.”
The Grizzlies have shown a willingness to resign the player as well. Battier indicated that he would like a four year contract, and under the previous CBA, Memphis were in a position to deliver him that. However, there is no telling
how the rules would work in a new system and how much Memphis’ ability to re-sign one of their own will be affected.
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